March 11
1800s *1882: **In retaliation for the "theft" of Sam Wise and Dasher Troy by the National League, the American Association creates a loophole allowing all players either blacklisted or expelled by the NL to join AA clubs after appealing to a special commission. **The Providence Grays will be selling season tickets for $15 until March 15, when the price will be raised to $20. 1900s *1901 - The ''Cincinnati Enquirer'' reports that Baltimore Orioles manager John McGraw has signed a Cherokee Indian named “Tokohama” to play second base. In reality, Tokohama isn’t a Native American; he is an African American whose actual name is Charlie Grant, who McGraw is trying to pass off as an Indian, but the ruse does not work. Baseball’s color line will prevent Grant from ever playing a game for the Orioles. 1910s 1920s 1930s *1933: **During an exhibition game in Los Angeles, a significant earthquake sends the Chicago Cubs and New York Giants scurrying to second base until the tremors stop. **Rogers Hornsby, out of baseball since being fired as Cubs manager last August, joins the St. Louis Cardinals in spring training as a player. Hornsby will return to second base after a six-year absence from St. Louis. 1940s 1950s *1953 - Milwaukee Braves owner Lou Perini proposes a ban on the move of any major league franchise to that of a minor league city until October 1. *1956 - At Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg there are no maybes about it as Mickey Mantle hits a Grapefruit League pitch from Larry Jackson over the left field wall into the bay. The Yankees top the Cardinals 4–3. Stan Musial contends, "no home run has ever cleared my head by as much as long as I can remember." Mantle will hit another at Al Lang Field on March 20 off Bob Mave to that also lands in the water, and will clock a 500-foot shot in Miami four days later against the Dodgers. *1957 - New York Representative Emanuel Celler, whose committee investigated baseball, calls Ford Frick a "czar" who wishes to "gag" officials; Frick had cautioned MLB owners about commenting on the recent Supreme Court decision on professional American football coming underantitrust rules. *1958 - Starting this season, American League batters will be required to wear batting helmets. *1959 - The MLB Players Association drops its threat of a strike against the International League. 1960s *1960 - Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees signs a one-year contract worth $65,000. The new deal is a $7,000 cut in pay for Mantle, who batted .285 with 31 home runs and 75 RBI for the Yankees in 1959. 1970s *1970 - Experimental, lively X-5 baseballs are used in all spring training games played in Arizona and Florida. The results are inconclusive. *1972 - Hall of Fame outfielder Zack Wheat dies in Sedalia, Missouri, at the age of 83. A .317 lifetime batter, Wheat starred for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He batted a National League-leading .335 in 1918 and possessed one of the most accurate throwing arms among outfielders. *1974 - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn orders the Atlanta Braves to play Hank Aaron in at least two of the team’s season-opening three games in Cincinnati. The Braves had planned to bench Aaron on the road in order to increase his chances of hitting his record-breaking 715th home run at home. 1980s *1981 - Slugger Johnny Mize and Negro Leagues pioneer Rube Foster to the Hall of Fame by the Special Veterans Committee. Mize hit .312 with 359 home runs during a 15-year major league career, while Foster served as a pitcher, manager, and Negro League organizer in the first quarter of the 20th century. *1988 - California Angels manager Gene Mauch takes a leave of absence for health reasons and is replaced by Cookie Rojas. Mauch will officially announce his retirement on March 27. Mauch leaves managing with 1,902 wins and 2,037 losses. 1990s *1991 - Jim Palmer, who is in the Baltimore Orioles training camp as a non-roster player, has a shaky outing against the Boston Red Sox, giving up five hits and two runs in two innings. Palmer, who retired in 1984, will retire again tomorrow, citing a hamstring injury. *1999 - The Boston Red Sox sign free agent pitcher Ramón Martínez to a contract, uniting him with his younger brother, Pedro. 2000s *2001: **Preston Wilson signs a $32 million, five-year contract with the Florida Marlins. Wilson, the franchise's first 30-30 player, was obtained from the Mets in the Mike Piazza deal. **The Yankees formally announce the signing of Cuban defector Andy Morales, a third baseman, to a four-year contract. Morales will wash out and be waived from his minor league team by July. The Yankees will try and sidestep his contract with proof that his listed age of 26 years is really 29. *2002: **The Boston Red Sox hire Grady Little as their new manager. **The Yankees release outfielder Rubén Rivera for stealing Derek Jeter's mitt out of his locker, and selling it on the black market for $2,500. There are rumors that Rivera also took other memorabilia items, such as things belonging to Roger Clemens, but Clemens denies it. Rivera had been signed to a one year contract for $1 million. *2004 - In the first game to be played at PETCO Park, the San Diego Padres new home, establishes a new record for the best attended game in college baseball history as 40,106 fans watch Tony Gwynn's San Diego State Aztecs beat University of Hawaii, 4–0. The previous mark of 27,673 was established in 2002 when state rivals LSU and Tulane met at the Louisiana Superdome. *2006: **San Diego Padres relief pitcher Doug Brocail underwent angioplasty. Brocail had complained of chest tightness that radiated into both arms. He already was being treated for an abscessed tooth and asthma. **The Kansas City Royals completed a five-year deal with outfielder David DeJesus, locking up one of the cornerstones of the Royals' youth movement through 2010. **First baseman Nick Johnson agreed to a $16.5 million, three-year contract extension with the Washington Nationals, a deal that ties him to the club through the 2009 season. Births *1911 - Jim Bucher, infielder (d. 2004) *1945 - Dock Ellis, All-Star pitcher *1948 - César Gerónimo, outfielder *1959 - Phil Bradley, All-Star outfielder *1966 - Steve Reed, pitcher *1970 - Pedro Castellano, infielder *1971 - Sang-Hoon Lee, pitcher *1972 - Salomón Torres, pitcher *1974 - Bobby Abreu, All-Star outfielder *1978 - Kevin Reese, outfielder *1980 - Chris Burke, outfielder *1980 - Rich Hill, pitcher *1982 - Brian N. Anderson, outfielder Deaths *1892 - Darby O'Brien, pitcher (b. 1867) *1930 - Bob Barr, pitcher (b. 1856) *1945 - Sam Mertes, outfielder (b. 1872) *1949 - Eric McNair, outfielder (b. 1909) *1953 - Fred Toney, pitcher (b. 1888) *1954 - Bill Bradley, infielder (b. 1878) *1963 - Joe Judge, infielder (b. 1894) *1972 - Zack Wheat, Hall of Fame outfielder (b. 1888) *1976 - Larry Gardner, infielder (b. 1886) *2002 - Al Cowens, outfielder (b. 1951)